1. Field of the Invention
pertains to the field of distribution and control devices for irrigation. More specifically, it pertains to a unique device for accurately and safely controlling the flow of water needed to irrigate an area where close control of volumetric flow is desired.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The need to control the distribution of water for irrigation of broad land areas or areas of comprehensive floral involvement has been recognized for centuries. Too much water will flood and kill the plants whereas too little will stunt their growth or allow them to dry out and die. Plants exhibit a noticeable variation in required water and often this is not taken into account during irrigation resulting in maximizing the growth potential of some flora while maintaining other plant life in an inefficient and/or deteriorated condition.
Means such as channel networks with positionable weirs have been used to control gross flow of water. In other situations, water feed lines connected to spray nozzles are fitted with hand-operated valves of various designs and shapes to more closely control water flow and total usage. In certain parts of the country, namely the south and southwest, water resources have become strained because of the lack of rain and snow fall, and communities are opting for tighter irrigation controls. No acceptable, finely-tunable irrigation systems have yet been devised so that the only alternative appears to be irrigation moratoriums.
A total loss of irrigation in arid or semi-arid areas usually spells disaster for the flora of that region and often results in excessive difficulty in regenerating plant life upon normalization of water resource. Use of prior art irrigation control methods do not provide sufficient close and/or accurate distribution of water to result in significant savings and simultaneously insure that all crops are given sufficient water to survive. As water becomes more scarce, the individual requirement of each specie of plant becomes more important and any successful irrigation system mandates different minimum water distributions to individual plants. Even close control of water channels Will not insure that each plant will not receive too much or too little water.
As an alternative to full termination of irrigation, it has been demonstrated that plants given small doses of water applied deep in their root section will thrive quite well. This plan maximizes the quality and quantity of plant life while reducing water requirements to extremely low values, or, in other words, a plan that achieves the best of both worlds. This alternative has not reached commercial practicality because there is no extant device that provides acceptable control under conditions where it is conveniently housed and easily operated. What is needed therefore, is a device that is sturdy, compact and easy to operate for providing overall control of water flow to an area of comprehensive or diverse plant life where the control closely matches the water consumption requirements of the specific plants.